Oh, Mercy would probably be my first choice for an update, because it was recorded at the end of the analog era, or close to it. Dylan apparently liked the sound of it at the time, but later changed his tune, and kind of slagged it in Chronicles.
I love the Sony/Columbia stereo SACD of Oh Mercy and often pull it out as a stereo SACD demo, terrific sounding major label release. I'd definitely be excited to see if it could be noticeably improved upon...I really like the 2LP 45rpm pressing of Desire and do plan to add the SACD as well at some point.
Isn't the vinyl out? That would give us an idea about the upcoming SACD. I will give New Morning a spin to night.
But what would be left behind? An acapella album? The Lanois textures are plain to hear, but their not slathered on - they're structural. Load bearing, you might say. Clearly not your cup of tea, but count me as an appreciator. His work on Willie Nelson's Teatro is a career high for both of those guys.
Eh? The Lanois sound is in the way it's mixed, not the music itself, that can all be remixed. Check out the remix they did of 'Love Sick' for Victoria's Secret or the outtakes of 'Red River Shore' or 'Can't Wait' on Tell Tale Signs. Sound quite different from the TooM flavour that Lanois crafted.
It's odd: I'm not necessarily a Lanois fan in general, and if you had asked me pre-Oh Mercy whether he'd be a good producer for Dylan, I would have laughed right in your face. But by god, that "swamp murk" works astoundingly well with Bob's music.
You know, I've owned Time Out Of Mind on CD for years, but I'm not entirely sure I've listened to it more than once. May just slap it on when Modest Mouse has finished. On topic, I'll be really interested in the MFSL Highway - discovering the DCC version was the first major step for me in going all digital, and realising how important mastering could be.
I'm going to go back and listen to those tracks with your premise in mind. But you didn't say exactly what would be left behind. Meanwhile, I still think much of the Lanois is already baked into the cake - no matter which faders you move around - it was a process and approach that rejuvenated Dylan. You (we) wouldn't care about the album if that weren't true. He likes to play live in the fewest takes possible; he's responding to the vibe in the room. You can't just take some of them away. If that were true, I'd love to remix away all those 80's drums. And what would that do to "In the Air Tonight"?
Time Out Of Mind sounds like 3 AM. I realize this may sound cliche and silly that an album can sound like a particular time of night. But I don't think I'm wrong. EDIT: And let me add that's one of my favorite hours to listen to music, so I'm qualified to speak on its sound.
i'll split the difference and say BoB is a better 2 AM album and Time Out Of Mind is a better 4 Am album.... blonde on blonde captures late night/early AM well... but the sad-eyed lady somehow deserves an encore... when TOOM hits ur player, u know thats it. there's no encore to highlands.
Thats evelish On a serious note i myself prefer to listen to it on a bright sunny day looking at the fields atsa
dylan's amphetamine use from bringing it all back home -> blonde on blonde is well known... but is that a fact that dylan went into recovery during Time Out Of Mind? I know he had the life threatening heart issue. But I've never heard that he detoxed/attempted to while those songs were being written or recorded.
In his new book on Bob, Victor Maymudes - Dylan's long time road manager - claims Dylan quit drinking in 1994. "He just stopped on a dime," Maymudes says. "He didn't talk as much once he stopped and he didn't laugh as loud either. It was a really big deal for him and really showed his commitment to changing his behavior. He was capable of dealing with a broader range of personalities when he was drinking and after stopping, his tolerance for certain types of behavior diminished. Bob lost a bit of self-esteem when he sobered up, became little more introverted and a little less social." So if thats the case, TooM would be his first album of sobriety after that. "I got new eyes..." indeed. As for Blonde On Blonde, I'd say it's a heroin rather than speed album.
I am interested to know if the new SACD includes the brief tuning/intro snippet at the beginning of the title track. Anyone?
Indeed. I just want to check if that inclusion has been carried over to the SACD before I place an order. Thanks.
sorry for getting so off track, but is this sourced from the same book? i'm intrigued, though skeptical, if any of blonde on blonde had been written or performed on heroin. its not a claim i'm familiar with. wouldn't be surprised either way, just curious what the source of that is. ok and this is last time... if continue this side topic, i'll start a new thread.
No the heroin thing is my hunch. Of course, 'blonde' is drug slang for marijuana and the album begins with a song which is titled after another term for the same drug, but Dylan's singing, the langour of the songs, his appearance during the 66 tour and the bike crash used as a way to get clean just makes me think he had got in pretty deep around that time. I could be completely wrong of course.
Where is Times ? I don't understand why that one has been treated like red headed step child. IMHO it's at least in the same league as Freewheelin and Another Side. Perhaps it's the ugly cover art?
